FROM THIS EPISODE

First up, we look at the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that led to a last-minute peace deal in Afghanistan over the weekend. Then, what’s going on with Bowe Bergdahl, the Army Sergeant captured by the Taliban in 2009 and freed May 31st? He’s back on active duty but refusing to speak to his parents. Next, we take a look at how architects are using drones to design buildings here in L.A. Then: the Peace Corps has the lowest number of volunteers in a decade. Why, and what does it say about how our culture has changed? Finally, we look at a race between the U.S. and England to map the human brain.

Banner Image: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) attends a Peace Corps Volunteer Swearing-in Ceremony in Rabat, Morocco on April 4, 2014

The peace is fragile in Afghanistan. The recent presidential runoff there was riddled with fraud and threatened to break up the country. We take a look inside the frantic maneuvering that led to a last-minute deal brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry, announced over the weekend.

In 2009, Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was captured and held by the Taliban. He was freed May 31st of this year, in exchange for five Taliban suspects. Since then Bergdahl has been called a hero, then a traitor and a deserter. Now he’s back on active duty at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, but reportedly refusing to speak to his family. What’s going on with Bergdahl?

The word “drone” generally conjures up images of military operations and shadowy surveillance. But what about luxury hotels and apartment towers? A growing number of architects are using unmanned aerial vehicles to design buildings — and running into some unexpected ethical dilemmas along the way. We look at how they’re being used here in LA.

The Peace Corps, which has been sending Americans overseas to do aid work for 50 years, is struggling to recruit new volunteers. Today, it announced it’s changing its application process to try to drum up more interest. We look at the organization’s evolution over the years and what its shrinking popularity says about our culture.

Europe and the U.S. are locked in a battle of the brains. A year and a half ago, the EU announced the Human Brain Project, a billion-dollar initiative to map the mysteries of the human mind. A few months later, President Obama proposed an American version: the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative. We look at the snags complicating these efforts on both sides of the pond.